Clydesdale Bank 40 game between the Unicorns and Glamorgan received a ‘very good’ report from umpires Tim Robinson and Mark Benson, and Andy hopes that, on the back of their first win in the tournament, the Unicorns will eventually make Dean Park their permanent home. I asked about preparation for the Dorset v Wiltshire match. “Typical really,” said Andy. “I had a match on the Saturday which, because England were playing their first world cup game, finished at 6.30pm. That meant that I could get on to the square a bit earlier than normal. I did a final scarify, followed by a brush, cut and roll, marked out and put out the 30 and 15 yard circles. I hand watered the used ends and put the covers and side sheets on. Then I moved the boundary rope and sight screens, before finally cutting the outfield. I finished just after 10.00pm.”
“I was back on the ground at 7.00am on the day of the match, with the game due to start at 10.00am. I tell everyone that the gates will be open two hours before the game. This allows me some
time to do my work without any interruptions. But, still people moan about not being allowed in. The last thing I want is people giving me their opinions whilst I’m trying to get on with my job!” “I’ve got the covers to take off, the practice nets to put up on the outfield and the stumps to put in. Then, I’ve just got to be plain sociable with everyone!” “The rules of the
competition state that final cut and roll are to be completed within 30 minutes of the start so, as you can imagine, it is pretty full on. And, just to add to the workload, the pulley system on the scoreboard broke, so I had to fix that as well.” At the time of my visit, Andy had no assistance, other than a couple of cricket fans to help with hand rolling the strip on match days. It is a punishing schedule that, because of the extensive fixture list, allows Andy little or no spare time. “During the season I will easily work a 100 hour week. When games are on, I do set my alarm and grab an hour or so’s sleep - that’s if some bloke from Pitchcare doesn’t come to see me for an interview! The
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